Here we go with the first round of Free Money Finance March Money Madness (if you wonder what's going on in these posts, see my article announcing March Money Madness and/or click on my March Money Madness category link and scroll down to read all the posts involved in this subject.)
I've listed each "game" (one post versus another) in segments along with the wording provided by the author when the post was submitted. I've also listed a keyword after each post title to make it easy to vote (as a made-up example, you can just comment: Game 1 - Saving; Game 2 - Investing, etc.) Be sure to comment which one you like the best out of each set of two -- you will help determine the winner! Criteria for the best article is somewhat subjective, but you can use these factors as a guide: 1) practicality of the post 2) how interesting/provocative/unique it is, 3) the "personal-ness" of it and 4) its impact on net worth.
Here are today's games:
GAME 27
- The Ultimate Home Buying Guide — Buying vs Renting Detailed Comparison (Ultimate) - The only piece of information you will need to read when deciding if renting or owning a home is the right option for a you. A 3,000 word post with every piece of information about home owning discussed.
VERSUS
- fff University: The Fico Score (Score) - If facts about the FICO score baffle your mind, you are not alone. We've compiled the nitty gritty on the elusive FICO beast and toned it down so normal people can understand it. Hopefully this will help you shine some light on this financial phenomenon.
GAME 28
- 6 Mistakes of New Earners and How to Fix Them (Earners) - Jill highlights the mistakes she made as well as ways to fix them after starting out on her own a couple years ago. It's a must read for anyone who has just graduated or needs a little refresher.
VERSUS
- Help Your Child Manage Credit - A Contrarian View (Manage) - In this post I take on the conventional "wisdom" of parents introducing teenagers and young adults to the use of credit and helping them "manage it." Many parents buy into the conventional wisdom because they are credit--obsessed themselves and/or are convinced that their kids are mature and destined to be financial geniuses. Sadly, that is not the case. Getting an early start on credit is contributing to the problem, not providing a solution.
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Abe | February 17, 2010 at 10:23 AM
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Aaron @ Clarifinancial | February 17, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Score
Manage
Posted by: Paul Pearman | February 17, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Score
Earners
Posted by: Ryan | February 17, 2010 at 12:19 PM
Game 27 - Ultimate
Game 28 - Manage
Posted by: Crystal | February 17, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Score
Posted by: Michael Douglas | February 17, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Jill | February 17, 2010 at 12:42 PM
Score
Earners
Posted by: Brett | February 17, 2010 at 01:32 PM
Game 27 - Score
Posted by: rob | February 17, 2010 at 01:37 PM
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Molly | February 17, 2010 at 01:42 PM
game 27: Ultimate
game 28: Earners
Posted by: jim | February 17, 2010 at 01:44 PM
Score
Earners
Posted by: Kathleen | February 17, 2010 at 02:01 PM
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Mark | February 17, 2010 at 02:12 PM
Game 27 - Ultimate
Game 28 - Earners
Posted by: Emma | February 17, 2010 at 02:30 PM
score
manage
Posted by: dani | February 17, 2010 at 02:52 PM
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Ben | February 17, 2010 at 03:22 PM
Game 27 - Score
Posted by: Matt | February 17, 2010 at 04:07 PM
Ultimate
Manage
Posted by: Holly | February 17, 2010 at 07:50 PM
Game 27 - Score
Posted by: Daniel | February 17, 2010 at 08:52 PM
Score
Earners
Posted by: Frank | February 17, 2010 at 11:10 PM
Ultimate
Earners
Posted by: Greg | February 17, 2010 at 11:39 PM
ultimate
earners
Posted by: Megan | February 18, 2010 at 09:49 AM
Earners
Posted by: Bryan | February 18, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Earners
Posted by: Ted | February 18, 2010 at 11:24 AM
Game 27 - (Score)
Game 28 - (Manage)
Posted by: Nate Johnson | February 18, 2010 at 04:44 PM
These games are now over. The winners are:
Game 27: Ultimate
Game 28: Earners
Thanks to everyone for voting. Another set of games is out today -- be sure to vote!
Posted by: FMF | February 19, 2010 at 08:55 AM
Game 28: Earners!
Posted by: SusieP | February 21, 2010 at 01:02 AM